[Edaily Reporter Kwon Oh Seok ] #PROTEINA CO., LTD., an AI-driven drug discovery company specializing in protein-protein interactions (PPI), has secured a commercial achievement through a collaboration with a global pharmaceutical company. PROTEINA CO., LTD. announced on the 22nd that it has signed a contract with a U.S.-based multinational pharmaceutical company—which is developing treatments for degenerative brain diseases—to provide protein-protein interaction biomarker analysis services. However, in accordance with the terms of the contract, the name of the pharmaceutical company was not disclosed.

This contract marks the first global commercial agreement resulting from the research collaboration signed last November with the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), a U.S.-based Parkinson’s disease research foundation. Industry observers assess that the network established with the MJFF served as a stepping stone leading to this collaboration with a multinational pharmaceutical company.
Recently, global pharmaceutical companies have been focusing on developing treatments that target innate immune protein complexes that induce neuroinflammation; however, the lack of biomarkers to demonstrate the actual efficacy of these drugs has been cited as a limitation.
PROTEINA CO., LTD. explained that its proprietary PPI-based biomarker can selectively and precisely measure trace amounts of activated protein complexes. The company noted that its technology differentiates itself from existing methods by analyzing functional changes—such as protein-protein interactions and actions—rather than simply measuring protein concentration.
Under the agreement, the pharmaceutical company plans to use PROTEINA CO., LTD.’s biomarker during the preclinical phase of its brain disease candidate to verify whether it suppresses neuroinflammation and, based on these results, incorporate the findings into the design of subsequent clinical trials.
PROTEINA CO., LTD. representative stated, “Since neuroinflammation is a common pathology in major degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the platform has broad applicability,” adding, “We also anticipate the potential for future expansion into the companion diagnostics (CDx) field.”
The representative added, “Following our collaboration with MJFF and the successful signing of a contract with a global pharmaceutical company, we expect additional opportunities for global collaboration to expand.”